1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus (finisher) for bundling sheets sent from an image forming apparatus, thereby carrying out, for example, staple processing and a waiting tray for use in the post-process apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A post-process apparatus comprises: a processing tray for bundling sheets sent from an image forming apparatus, thereby carrying out, for example, staple processing, and ejecting the processed bundles of sheets; and a storage tray for holding the ejected bundles of sheets. A staple processing speed of the post-process apparatus is slow as compared with an image processing speed of the image forming apparatus. Thus, if a sheet is directly sent to the processing tray, a sheet to be staple processed next is transported while a preceding sheet is staple processed. In order to prevent this problem, conventionally, a buffer mechanism for adjusting a carrying-in timing of a sheet at a front stage of the processing tray is proposed.
Japanese Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 2583594 discloses a mechanism for retaining sheets is provided at a transport passage for sending sheets sent from an image forming apparatus to a processing tray. However, in this case, there is a need for increasing the transport passage in length, and, as a result, the post-process apparatus is likely to be large in size.
Japanese Patent document 2: Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2004-142863 discloses a width guide being narrowly formed at the upstream side in a sheet transport direction of a support face for supporting a sheet bottom face so that a bundle of sheets first comes into contact with a storage tray from the upstream side in the transport direction. However, this width guide is provided to systematically eject a plurality of bundles of sheets on the storage tray. In addition, this width guide is provided to easily distinguish the distinction between the bundles of sheets. The sheets are always dropped via processing on the width guide. That is, the width tray of patent document 2 is not provided to immediately drop the sheets transported on the waiting tray onto the processing tray. Therefore, the invention of Patent document 2 is technically different from the present invention, and advantageous effect of the present invention cannot be attained.